Atlanta, Knoxville rattled as earthquake shakes the Southeast

The magnitude 4.1 quake struck about 15 miles south of Maryville just after 9 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It had a depth of about 15 miles.

ATLANTA -- A minor earthquake rattled southeastern Tennessee on Saturday morning, sending a startling jolt felt across much of the Southeast, including Atlanta and Knoxville.

The magnitude 4.1 quake struck about 15 miles south of Maryville just after 9 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It had a depth of about 15 miles.

"Yes, that was an earthquake that many felt in Knoxville," Knoxville Police posted on X. "We have not received any reports of injuries or damage."

Reports of shaking spread over to Chattanooga.

"Didn’t feel it at first, just heard the dishes rattling," Sue McCloud told FOX Weather from Chattanooga. "Really strange feeling – at first I thought construction behind us, but no noise."

Leigh Hammett, of Lafollette, Tennessee, about an hour northwest of Knoxville, said he also felt the shaking.

"We felt it throughout the house," Hammett said. "Nothing came off the shelves, but we knew it was very different than when they blast in the nearby quarries."

But it wasn't just felt in Tennessee. People reported shaking across at least six other states, including Asheville and Charlotte in North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina to the east, and even some 120 miles away in the Atlanta metro area to the south.

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"Five minutes after 9 this morning (my) bedroom started shaking and the handles on my dresser drawers were rattling for 5-10 seconds," said Lyle Mauer, who lives in Woodstock, Georgia. 

Video from a home security camera in Blairsville, Georgia showed the shaking lasting a good 20 seconds.

"Just out of nowhere the house started shaking," Lucie Belvin told FOX Weather from Atlanta. "At first we thought it was a truck on the highway or something. It lasted for about 15-30 seconds. Then we found it was an earthquake! Never felt anything like it before in my life."

So far, over 40,000 people have reported feeling shaking to the USGS.

There are other initial reports of any damage or injuries.

The USGS advises that there is a low chance of small aftershocks, giving a 23% chance of a magnitude 3 quake or greater over the next week, and just a 5% chance of another quake reaching magnitude 4.

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